My friend Celeste tagged me for this post; you can see her answers here.

1. What is the first book you remember reading? Probably Little House on the Prairie. I really got into stories about pioneers and this stands out in my mind as one of the best.

2. What books make up your childhood? I was obsessed with historical fiction of any kind, so I read all of the Little House books, the American Girl books, etc.

3. What’s the first series of books you devoured? Probably the Nancy Drew books! When I ran out I switched to the Hardy Boys.

4. What books have you, or could you, read over and over again?The Lord of the Rings, Pride and Prejudice, the Miss Marple mysteries by Agatha Christie, Outlander, and the Game of Thrones books.

5. What books take you back to a certain point in your life and why? Gosh, I’m drawing a blank here for some reason. I guess I would say that anything about wilderness survival reminds me of being a teen, because I went through a period when I was really interested in how to survive almost anything and I gobbled up books (fiction and nonfiction alike) on the subject.

6. What book changed your life, or could at least change someone elses? I’ve given this answer before in similar questionnaires, but quite definitely The Art of Happiness. I started reading it at a time when I was really in a bit of a funk and it really changed my perspective on life.

7. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, which book would it be? I’m going to echo Celeste and say, thank goodness it hasn’t come to that!

I feel like I’ve really been neglecting my blog this week! My daily blogging kind of went out the window, due to a mix of extra work at my regular job and just having a bit of a stressful week overall. I think sometimes you have to admit that you’re overwhelmed and just need a break to drink tea and read and sleep. And so I did!

Anyway, I got these questions from Danielle’s blog Underland to Wonderland, where I came across a post in which she talked about the website Thought Questions and their 365 thought-provoking questions to ask yourself. My friends Katrin, Celeste and Jasmine have also been answering these questions, so be sure to go check out their blogs too!

Day 43: What are you most grateful for? Currently, my library card. It gives me access to thousands of books for free, supporting a habit I could otherwise never afford. Imagine how much money it would take to buy all of the books I read!
Day 44: Is stealing to feed a starving child wrong? No. I think it would be more wrong to do nothing. (I’m well aware many people will disagree with me, but I think this question exposes one of the major flaws of moral absolutism: it adheres to the letter of the law but ignores the spirit.)

Day 45: What do you want most? This feels like a trick question, because I know what we all should say…

But right now I’m thinking…a trip to New Zealand! Which is my current savings goal. Wish me luck.

Day 46: Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things? Doing the right things. Otherwise doing things correctly doesn’t mean all that much.

Day 47: What has life taught you recently? Well, as I mentioned above, I’ve learned this week that there’s nothing wrong with slowing down once in a while! I think that we have a tendency to feel bad about taking a break, but sometimes it’s absolutely essential for both your physical and mental well-being.

Day 48: What is the one thing you would most like to change about the world? I would like everyone to be more open-minded, kinder, and less judgmental.

Day 49: Where do you find inspiration? All around me, but I find music especially inspiring. Thank goodness for Spotify, so I have access to unlimited music for free.